Theology beyond the shoreline

the plenary nature of Christ’s redemption

We’ve all been there. Whether it’s one of those old bowling alleys or bingo halls, Grandpa and Grandma’s place for a visit, or any place, really, where smoking is still allowed these days. We all know that smell. The pungent odour that seeps into furniture and curtains and walls and carpets, that remains long after the last butt was extinguished. In fact, even if no one has even lit up a cigarette recently, you still leave the place with the smell of it clinging to your clothes and hair. It is inescapable. Smoke is just one of those things that ‘stays’ no matter how hard you try to get it off you (ask anyone who’s tried to hide the fact that they smoke from others).

In Daniel 3, we read of a time honored classic; a ‘main-stay’ of Sunday school tradition, in the story of three Hebrews (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), unwilling to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image and thrown into a fiery furnace because of their faithfulness. In verse 24 we’re then told,

“Then king Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counsellors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘But i see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.'”

Nebuchadnezzar has his mind blown by this and calls them out of the furnace, and we are then told this,

“[they all] saw that the fire had not any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.”

The miraculous salvation of these would-be martyrs is – in and of itself – profound and staggering. But as i learn to understand and see more and more of Christ in the OT canon, (and, by the way, i believe this story includes not simply typology of Christ, but a literal Christophany [a pre-incarnate visitation of Christ in human history], which is one of the keys to the story’s significance.) the glaring correlation between Christ’s saving presence in the fiery furnace for those three men and Christ’s saving presence from the fires of hell in the life of every believer, comes into a sharp and singular focus. Considering, also, what was just presented above about the particular properties and consequences of smoke, and the fact that Scripture tells us these three Hebrews came out of the fire not only unharmed but not even smelling of smoke, we are also given here a glorious vision of the consummate, plenary nature of Christ’s redemption.

In Hebrews 7:25, speaking of Christ’s unending role as our High Priest, we read,

“Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost, those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Later in Hebrews 10:14 the author writes,

“For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

2 Cor. 5:21 tells us finally,

“For our sake, God made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.”

–

Christ’s presence in the life of the believer is redemptive and transforming in such a way that, – like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – we are not only saved from the just wrath of a holy God in the fires of hell, but even the smoke from it’s flames cannot touch or cling to the one He calls His child. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine … when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Is. 43:1,2

RSS links

RSS

When it comes to the subject of God’s calling on someone’s life, where are the boundary markers? Which is simply to ask: what are the circumstances or events in someone’s life that would exempt them from being used any longer by God? Maybe you think the answer is obvious or perhaps your own life circumstances … Continue reading Disability, calling and the di […]

When you’re going through something difficult or scary in life, it’s the most natural thing in the world to want someone close to you; to go with you or to be right by your side. For the Christian, one of our dearest hopes in pain or trial is also that God Himself is close to … Continue reading Far away, so close: transcendence beautifying immanence

Have you ever started out on some project or endeavor, only to discover part ways in that it was actually going to be much more costly and time consuming than you had originally planned? I’ve had such an experience recently with my youngest daughter and Highland Dancing. We put her in assuming that once fees … Continue reading Costly worship?

When you’re faced with something that feels too big for you, what is one of the first prayers on your lips? Ins’t it, “God, give me strength!” or “Father, empower me for this task before me.”? This was – for instance – Sampson’s prayer as he stood between the two pillars in Judges 16:28, or … Continue reading Weaken me for Your service

We’ve all experienced it: that freeing, liberating feeling that an honest confession from a friend brings, which causes you to un-tense and say, “… Oh! So I’m not the freak I thought I was? Thank goodness!” It does’t matter as much what the subject is. Call it “misery loves company” or “true confessions”, there is … Continue reading Showing our hand: a ne […]

I’ve always loved the book of Galatians. There are few other books in the bible that demonstrate so clearly the disparity between earned righteousness and gifted righteousness as this letter from the apostle Paul to the church at Galatia. But in the same way that we continue to desire McDonalds food even after seeing Supersize … Continue reading Christ and […]

As evangelical preachers, we say that the word of God is our sole authority for all matters of life and doctrine (Prov. 30:5-6) and that we can hold to that belief because the One who ultimately wrote that word to us is also true (Romans 3:4). My question is whether or not we end up teaching … Continue reading Every lofty opinion: Preaching that prepares fo […]

After telling us to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”, the apostle Paul states plainly in Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows that will he also reap.” And as I consider the recent events in the USA regarding Michael Brown and Eric Garner, for the … Continue reading The psychology of oppress […]

We’ve all heard the words and likely said them ourselves many times, “No pain, no gain.” We get (or should anyways) that most things in life that are worth accomplishing require some degree of effort and struggle in order to achieve them. But if we default to thinking about that effort and struggle in one … Continue reading The gain of pain: Suffering as p […]